The purpose of the present invention is to give advice of a method for preparing and treating a textile material and a textile material thus prepared and produced, taken into account the definition mentioned above.
The present invention is more directly adapted to a porous material, which has been treated in a wet condition and dried, to include a more or less dried, one or more, antigen substances and/or compositions, where said compositions are in excess.
It has already been recognized that for children, in the pre-scholar and scholar ages, the presence of allergic symptoms appears to have doubled since the years within 1970.
It has further been found that asthma, atopic eczema and hay-fever are the most common chronic allergic symptoms and/or illnesses among scholar children.
In Sweden it has been tested that about 16% of country living adults expose eczema or skin rash. This figure is also expected to be the same in other countries.
When adults in Sweden today are asked the question; whether they suffer from a running, itchy nose or eyes in connection with leaf budding, grass flowering or by contact with furry animals, more than 18% feel that this disadvantageous more or less affects them to a notable extent or degree.
It has also been observed, by tests, that when newborn children, immediately after the childbirth, have been injected with and/or exposed to one or more antigens, in a certain concentration, they adopt to and develop a properly operating immune system and thereby tend to maintain a healthy “status quo” during their lifetime in this respect.
In a Swedish publication “ALLERGI” by Nils E. Eriksson (ISBN 91-44-35 791-5), pages 304 to 308, it is shown in a diagram that exposed hypo-sensibilization (IgE) is extremely high for a newborn child and is thereafter illustrated in said diagram as a decreasing function with time.
It has further been evaluated that one or more antigens, in different forms and solutions, may be used within one or more of the categories mentioned below;                a. in the form of an injection liquid,        b. in the form of tablets or pastilles,        c. in the form of a drinkable liquid mixture,        d. in the form of a solution for spraying,        e. in the form of substances adapted for inhalation,        f. in the form of a jelly consistency, applied towards a chosen skin part and/or        g. in the form of a dried fibrous material, with one or more antigen substances dried to antigen components or allergens, intended for a physical contact with the body of an infant mammal or a child.        
The present invention has its application especially directed to the conditions reflected under subsection or category “g” above.
It has also been found that the concentration of, the amount of and the type of used antigen or antigens, in each of the above different applications and categories, are related to the used application, categorized as “a” to “g” above, and the mammal or the child or person involved in order to develop a proper immune defense system.
The concentration of, the amount of and the type of used antigen or antigens, related to each of the categories “a” to “g” above, have been investigated in detail and it is previously known many investigations and tests, the results of which have been published in many different publications.
In the International patent application PCT/US97/21 687, or patent publication WO-A1-98/22 145, it is shown and described methods and compositions which may be used to immunize infant mammals or children against one or more target antigens and/or thereto related allergens.
It is here suggested that the immunogenically effective amount of a nucleic acid, encoding a relevant epitope of a desired target antigen, is administrated to an infant child.
Based, at least in part, on the discovery that such genetic immunization of infant mammals could give rise to effective cellular and humoral immune responses and defenses against target antigens, the present invention founds its application in a fibrous soft material, illustrated as a textile material.
The introduction of an antigen and a solution thereof is here proposed to be effected by an “injection” process, as stated under subsection or category “a” above.
In the European Patent Application EP-A1-0 451 800 it is described and illustrated a method, for a diagnostic purpose only, for producing a binding assay device, composed of antigens on a cellulose nitrate, cellulose nitrate/acetate or similar solid phase material or structure.
This method involves applying, to a solid phase, a small amount of an antigen substance, or a pretreated allergen composition, containing a certain concentration of an antigen and drying the solution in order to form an allergen and/or allergens.
This method is used by contacting a patient test sample to the immobilized allergen and determining whether or not the test sample contains IgE antibodies related to a chosen antigen or allergen.
This publication discloses a discovery that an allergen solution (antigen in a liquid form) can be used to bind an allergen to a solid phase material, without any need for covalent linkage.
A solid phase thus prepared can then be used in an “in vitro” diagnostic assay, for the evaluation of the amount of IgE.
It is also suggested that suitable solid phase materials may include cellulose nitrate or mixed ester cellulose.
In addition, it has been discovered that certain allergen concentrations (antigens in dried form) are exposing optimum related results, insofar as the sensibility of the assay is concerned.
Considering the basic idea of the present invention it is to be mentioned that it is previously known to introduce a liquidized antigen into a solution, and to immerge a textile material in said solution and than dry said textile material, to form a solid phase or state, when the liquid (such as alcohol) is evaporated and a dried antigen is exposed within said textile material.
Taking into account some of the significant features related to the present method it is to be mentioned that means and/or arrangements for causing sequential under-pressure and over-pressure processing steps are used in plants for producing impregnated tree materials, for a sequentially suction and pressing an impregnated liquid into the fibers of such a solid tree material, for exposing a resistance towards water and moisture during extended time sequences.
Such a plant includes an autoclave arrangement where the tree material is trans-ported into a cylinder-formed space, which is closed, and the solid tree material is subject to a pre under-pressure step, an over-pressure step, a final post under-pressure step for a final treatment of the solid tree material, such as planks, deals and/or battens.